PRESERVING - PERSISTENT SEQUEL

02

☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ2. Conversations with a Nicotine Addict

❝you really changed me for the better❞

─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───

Sugawara had his back against the wall, his eyes shut, thinking about his options when he head the should of the bar door swing open, then the sound of heals clicking against the concrete path. The abrupt stop of the noise made his eyes open almost immediately. They met with a face he recognised instantly, standing a few meters away with the same surprised expression on her face as he had.

"Sugawara?" She said. The shock in her tone made it painfully obviously she was very surprised to see him. The fact that she used his last name stung a little too. Made it feel like they were strangers all over again.

[y/n] hadn't changed much since the last time he saw her, maybe about 4 years ago now? Sugawara definitely hasn't been counting...

Her [h/c] hair was still the name length and style it always had been and she even did her makeup almost identical to the way she did it in high school. She also was still as insanely attractive as she always had been. That black dress she wore that made her extenuated all the best parts of her figure and made Sugawara's heart stop right then and there. Makoto's words flashed in his mind. "Whether you like it or not, she was — and probably still is — important to you."

No way. As much as he did love her once. He hadn't seen her since she was twenty. They were both twenty-four now. You can't love your first —high school — girlfriend forever, you have to get over these things at some point. Just because his heart sped up at the sight of her didn't mean anything. She was an attractive woman, this would happen to anyone.

"It's nice to see you," [y/n] grinned, regaining her composure and strolling over to him with a cigarette box in her hand. Her tone was causal, speaking to him like she was seeing an old friend.
"I didn't know you smoked," Sugawara blurted out, unsure of what to say or do, or even what to do with his hands at the moment. They seemed to keep switching from resting behind his back and keeping them at his sides.

"Twenty year old me would be so ashamed," she smiled, staring at the box as she pulled a single cigarette, "but I used to use it as an excuse to talk to these fancy directors and producers and owners of filming companies. They're usually big smokers and 'bumping' into them while going out for a smoke always made it super easy to sneak a quick mention of a script I was writing, worked pretty well a few times too," she laughed as she explained. "Did get me sorta addicted to nicotine though, so if it was a good or a bad idea... I guess you can decide for yourself." Sugawara hummed as a response and nodded his head, watching her hands as the cuffed the area around her month to light the so called cancer stick.

"Well, if it got you far into your career I guess it's a good thing," Sugawara spoke up, his voice still had a lingering nervousness too it, "your kinda famous, I'm surprised no one has noticed you in there yet."
"Yeah well, people don't really recognise directors and writers as much as they do actors," [y/n] said, tapping the stick with her finger to let any loose ash fall to the pavement, "I'm lucky if I get noticed by one person a day but it's not like I've ever particularly enjoy attention anyways."
"That's true, I'm guessing you're still not much of a people person?" Sugawara smiled at her, trying to make a light joke. [y/n] giggled.
"Not really but I'd like to think I'm a lot nicer of a person than I was in high school," she replied.
"Well I always thought you were nice, having unwanted attention off of teenage boys asking you out constantly makes a big of bluntness justified in my opinion," Sugawara said. [y/n] too a long drag of the cigarette and blew the smoke out into the air.
"Well, I think you're just trying to be nice, I wasn't the best in high school, whether I had daily confessions or not but thank you..." [y/n] said, a small smile was on her lips as she turned to look at Sugawara.
"No problem," Sugawara answered, unsure if he really should of said that or not but he was a bit too enchanted by [y/n]'s eyes to think straight at the moment.

A long silence followed and [y/n] pull her eyes away from his to take another drag of the cigarette as Sugawara pressed his lips into a thin line. It was pretty awkward now. Sugawara was debating on heading back into the bar before [y/n] spoke up again.

"Hey, Makoto told me you're an elementary school teacher now, that's great, I think that job suits you well," [y/n] turned her head back to look at him, another smile plastered on her face.
"Oh! Thank you. You think it suits me?" Sugawara answer, a bit caught off guard.
"Well, of course, part of teaching is bringing out students true potential and leading them on the path, right?" [y/n] elaborated, "that's kinda of what you did for me when we were in high school." There was a hint of awkwardness in her voice now, like she almost embarrassed about saying what she said but Sugawara wasn't too sure.

"You think I brought out your true potential back in high school?" Sugawara asked, his tone full of shock and almost excitement.
"Of course, it's a little embarrassing to say this but..." she stopped talking for a short second to forced back a large smile and a blush, "you really changed me for the better."

Sugawara felted surprised, he didn't think Makoto was all the serious when she said [y/n] still saw him as important but maybe that was the truth after all. He couldn't even hide the blush on his face as she spoke those words. God, maybe she is still important to him.

The way she was trying with her all her might to hide a blush and playing with her fingers out of nervousness, it reminding of her in high school. He really wanted to kiss her right now. Badly.

He hadn't even realised how close their faces had gotten until [y/n] cleared her throat and pulled back. Shutting her eyes for a moment to recollect her composure and come back to her senses.

"I should — uh — head back inside," [y/n] stuttered, pointing her hand towards the door, "I haven't even spoken to Makoto yet," she laughed awkwardly.
"Oh yeah, of course," Sugawara forced an answer, kicking a near by stone, "I'll come back in soon, so I might see you in there." Might? Are you stupid of course you'll see her in there, Sugawara cursed himself for being so awkward.
"Yeah, I'll see you," she said, half walking away already, her arms crossed over her chest.
"See you, [y/n]," he nodded, shoving his hands into his pockets as [y/n] wandering back into the bar, the door stuffing behind her.

─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───